More civil disobedience arrests in Greensboro

As promised in a press release yesterday associated with the Spirit of the Sit-In Movement Initiative, a "sit-in rally" occurred today at 3 p.m. at Melvin Municipal Office Building in Greensboro.

Greensboro police report that six people were arrested today that at about 4 p.m., six people walked to a main entrance of the building and stood in the doorway for several minutes blocking others from entering the building. Police officers reportedly asked them to leave, and when they refused they were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

Those arrested include the Rev. Nelson Johnson of the Beloved Community Center and pastor of Faith Community Church; the Rev. Cardes Brown, pastor of New Light Missionary Baptist Church and president of the Greensboro NAACP; the Rev. Gregory Headen, pastor of Genesis Baptist Church, the Rev. Randall Keeney, pastor of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church; Joseph Frierson Jr., a community organizer with the Beloved Community Center; and Robert Lee Newkirk.

This comes on the heels of a civil disobedience action in which five young people were arrested last night after sitting at the dais during the intermission of a Greensboro City Council meeting and vocalizing criticism of the police department.

The implied parallels with the Feb. 1, 1960 action memorialized with the International Civil Rights Center should be apparent.

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